Harry Potter and the Time Between
by Shamrock Holmes
Summary: (COMPLETE!) Harry expected many things from his time in the Aurors, an obstructive superior was always one he was expecting, and now he has to deal with it. Sequel to Torch of Caelum & Scrolls of Amor. HG, RH, NL and others
1. Chapter 1: Beginnings and Endings

A/N: This story takes place between Chapter 14 and the Epilogue of Harry Potter and Scrolls of Amor and will be a series of vignettes showing what happened the intervening time. This vignette takes place during the summer after Harry's final year.  
  
Chapter One: Beginnings and Endings  
  
Harry, Ginny and most of their friends spent the summer at Gryphon's Eyrie, enjoying the calm of living out of Voldemort's shadow. Ginny, Luna, Neville and their younger friends weren't spared the chore of homework, but as even Hermione admitted that they'd earned a break, it was done at a fairly relaxed pace.  
  
Neville left about a week before term began, saying that he needed to return to help Professor Sprout with her lesson plans. Remus disappeared around the same time, but though Harry asked Sirius and the others several times where he had gone, no answer was forthcoming. Two days later, Harry received an owl from Antonio Cabeza, the Captain of the Auror Training Corps, ordering him to report to the Ministry's Combined Operations Training Centre in Devon by 0700 on September the 2nd. Ron and Hermione both received similar letters, although Ron's presence had not been requested until the 5th.  
  
With the Death Eater treat considerable lower, it was decided that a large escort wasn't required for the trip to King's Cross on the 1st. It was decided that they would stay at the Leaky Cauldron overnight, and Sirius would drive the students to the station. Harry insisted on coming along, as did Susan, but they and Mrs Weasley were the only ones as Hermione was convinced that she needed to spend the day preparing for training, and had roped Ron into helping her.  
  
Tom the bartender raised his eyebrows when Harry and Ginny said they would be rooming together, but acquiesced when Sirius assured him it was okay. In all, Sirius paid for six rooms: singles for himself, Mrs Weasley and Mark, twin rooms for the Bones sisters and Jamie and Luna; and the double room for Harry and Ginny.  
  
The prospect of being parted for several months wasn't one that sat comfortable with either one of them, and the fervour with which Harry and Ginny made love that night reflected this, it was as if they were trying to fit months of intimacy into a single night, which was in fact very likely what they were trying to do. By the time they fell asleep at 1.30am, both lovers were exhausted.  
  
----  
  
They woke at about 8am, and it was scramble for them to shower, dress and get down to the pub in time to eat some breakfast. However, despite their late start, the whole group managed to arrive at King's Cross in plenty of time. Harry helped Ginny lift her truck and Hedley's cage into the train. Then he jumped back down to the platform.  
  
"I'm going to miss you, Gin." Harry told her. "I'm not sure how much time off I'll have, but I'll try and get up for the Hogsmeade weekends and your matches. If I can't I'll see you at Christmas."  
  
"I hope you can make, Harry." Ginny told him. "I'll really miss you too."  
  
They held each other for a few minutes then kissed. When they broke apart, Ginny hopped onto the train. Harry said quick goodbyes to Jamie, Mark, Luna and Anita and then returned to where Sirius, Mrs Weasley and Susan were standing. He didn't move until the train had cleared the station, then he turned back to the group.  
  
"Let's go and get our stuff from the Leaky Cauldron," he said. "We've got a big day tomorrow.  
  
Susan nodded. Like Hermione, Ernie and Lisa Turpin, she had accepted a place on the MLES Training Programme as an Inquisitor Trainee, and would be Flooing to the Training Centre with Harry and his friends the next morning.  
  
They drove back to the pub and packed, then used the fireplace to return to Gryphon's Eyrie.  
  
Harry went up to his room once he got in, and satisfied that everything he needed had been packed into his large trunk, settled down to sharpen and polish his weapons. He continued doing this until Civis came looking for him for lunch. After lunch, he spent a little time in the Library, reading over some of the obscure - but useful - books that he hadn't bothered added to his collection. After a big meal, and a couple of games of chess with Remus, he headed up to bed.  
  
----  
  
When they arrived at the Training Centre, they were greeted by a short, stocky blonde who introduced herself Inspector Gelman, Captain Cabeza's assistant, and an athletic black man called Terry Parker, an MLES agent. Parker directed Hermione, Ron and the other MLES trainees to the west wing of Morpheus Tower, and they set off. Gelman told Harry, Romulus and Blaise to follow her.  
  
After a short walk they reached the smaller East Wing, where they would be sleeping, although with the older Auror trainees and the ATP officers.  
  
Harry was pleased to find that they had been allocated single rooms, which according to the inspector could be decorated as they wished. Harry hadn't brought much with him, only a couple of framed photographs, a spelled mirror, and some of the rarer, but more useful volumes from his Defence and Potions collections, plus his weapons. He unpacked his new uniform, which closely resembled his Quidditch uniform expect it was cream and white, rather than red and gold and put it on expect for the robe itself. He decided that he probably wouldn't need many weapons outside of class, so he selected only his new swordstick - broken down into its two halves - and a single throwing dagger, which he tucked into the sheath on his left arm. He removed his new wand - 12½ inches, rowan with another feather from Fawkes the Phoenix - from its box, and after a pause, slotted it into the sheath on his wand arm.  
  
There was a knock on the door, and Romulus looked around the door. "Ready Harry?"  
  
Harry nodded, and picked up the cream and white robe and slipped it on. "I am now. Where's Blaise?"  
  
"She's still unpacking, she'll catch up."  
  
"Okay, let's go then." Harry said, walking out of his room and locking it with a whispered spell.  
  
"When did learn that trick?" asked Romulus. "I've seen you do it with the door of your old office at Hogwarts, but that door's specially charmed."  
  
"It's not that difficult." Harry told him. "Once you get the hang of using something other than a wand, little spells like one are easy to do wandlessly."  
  
Romulus shrugged and headed down the stairs, Harry followed close behind. When they entered the dining room, they saw Ron, Hermione, Susan, and Ernie sitting at one of the tables and hurried over. Blaise, Katie Bell and Katie's partner, Jacques Lien, who had been in the year below Fleur at Beauxbatons, joined them a few minutes later.  
  
They chatted for a while, then fell silent as a men wearing captain's insignia entering the room, followed by a selection of officers including Gelman, Parker, and to Harry's surprise, Sirius.  
  
"Did you know Sirius was an Auror?" he asked Katie in a whisper. She shook his head and continued to look at the assembled group of officers.  
  
Captain Cabeza, who despite his name looked entirely English, was the first to speak. "Good morning everyone." He waited until his greeting had been echoed by most of those present and then continued. "I would like to welcome you to another year at the Combined Operations Training Centre. For some of you, this is your first time here, for others the final stage of a three-year program.  
  
"My assistants will be handing around the partnership and class assignments momentarily. When you receive yours, you may go. You have until after lunch to find your partner and introduce yourself, then you should report to your first lesson together.  
  
"What you do on your own time is your affair, but those of you on the Auror or Inquisitor programmes should be aware that your fate - your success - is as dependent on your partner as it is on yourself. If one of you fails. you both flunk out."  
  
Harry groaned, it was bad enough that he was going to have problems himself, without the worry of someone else failing simply because he did.  
  
However, when he received his assignments a few minutes later, he was a little relived, he'd been paired with Blaise, who he knew he could work with. The fourth member of their class, who turned out to be the Japanese student, Debra Ling, found them a couple of minutes later - she was of course paired with Romulus.  
  
After lunch, the four new Auror trainees left their friends and headed to their first class, which turned out to be Unarmed Combat. Harry smiled, he was glad to be starting the year with something he already knew.  
  
The Auror tasked with teaching basic Unarmed Combat, was a large, brutish Sergeant, called Fredric Bern who reminded Harry of Malfoy's goon, Crabbe. Bern leered at Harry went he came in. "Well, aren't we honoured. Harry Potter has decided to grace us with his presence. Step right up, let's see how well you do without your magic."  
  
Blaise put out a hand to stop him. "Harry."  
  
"I'll be fine, Blaise." Harry told her. He stripped down to his t-shirt and removed the two sheathes from his wrists, the sticks stayed in their holster at his hip. He walked up to the sergeant and assumed a fighting position.  
  
Bern paused for a moment, then took a swing at Harry, his large, ham-sized fist whistling towards his face. Harry deflected the blow with his right forearm, then landed a hard left on Bern's chin. The Auror spun around and shook his head to clear it. Harry didn't give him a chance to attack again though, instead he curled back his foot and snap-kicked him in the chest. The Auror staggered back a little winded. Then charged again.  
  
The fight lasted almost five minutes, but by the second minute, it was obvious to everyone that Harry was more than capable of defending himself against the larger, stronger Bern. Eventually, Harry disabled him using a take-down he'd learnt from Shi Hu.  
  
"As you can, I more than capable of defending my self without a wand." Harry said to Bern, once he had got up off the floor. The older man nodded reluctantly, and told him to rejoin his training partner. He told both pairs to practise sparring and then he returned to propping up the wall.  
  
"Any limits I should aware of, Blaise?" Harry asked Blaise while they warmed up.  
  
"Anything does, Harry. That okay with you?"  
  
"Fine with me," Harry confirmed.  
  
"Then let's fight!"  
  
----  
  
After the Unarmed Combat - which lasted two hours in total - they were told to take half-an-hour to clean up, and then report to Sergeant Halligan for their Charms class.  
  
Sergeant Halligan was a pretty, slim redhead only a few years older than Harry himself and probably the same age as Inspector Gelman. "Good afternoon, in this you will be learning the complex charms needed in your work. Now, how many of you can cast a Patronus Charm?"  
  
Harry, Romulus and Blaise could of course, Ling however, could not.  
  
"Okay, you'll need to work on them and try and get them corporeal of course."  
  
"Actually ma'am, they already are," Harry told her. "Mine's a stag, Romulus' is a wolf, and Blaise's is a viper."  
  
"I see. Would you care to demonstrate Mr Potter?"  
  
Harry nodded and stood, flicking his wand into his hand as he did so. He raised it and pointed it at the fall wall, thinking hard about his time with Ginny the night before. "Expecto Patronum!"  
  
Prongs popped out of Harry's new wand as easily as he had from the old one, and prowled around for a minute or two looked for a target. Finding none, he disappeared.  
  
"Excellent Mr Potter!" exclaimed Halligan. "Mr Moon, Ms Zabini?"  
  
Neither of Harry's friends had any particular problem with the request, and conjured their own Patroni long enough for Halligan to verify that they too were indeed corporeal. Sighing, she told the three of them to read the chapter in their book on advanced shield charms, while she taught Ling the Patronus Charm.  
  
At five pm, she released them, and they headed back to their rooms to drop off their stuff, and then went down to eat. When Harry returned his room a couple of hours later, he found that Hedley was perched on the pedestal reserved for post owls in his room and had a letter attached to his leg.  
  
Harry removed it and lay down on his bed. "You don't need to wait, Hedley." He told the bird. "I'll send Hedwig with an answer when she gets back."  
  
Hedley hooted a response and took off, flying out the open window. Harry slit open the envelope and began to read:  
  
Dearest Harry, I just thought I'd send you a note to tell you that we've arrived at Hogwarts safely. It is a little weird being here without you, and Ron, Hermione and the others of course. I am currently sitting at my desk in the Head Girl's room, which is almost as grand as our room at the castle, but not as large. Tonight's feast was full of surprises: It was a bit of a jolt seeing Neville sitting at the Staff Table. Leona was sitting beside him and you'll never guess who was on her other side.  
  
Obviously not, as I'm here, and not there with you, my love. Harry thought to himself.  
  
It was Remus! Apparently McGonagall asked him to come back and teach as soon as Ambrose handled in her resignation. And that's another surprise! Dumbledore resigned over the holidays and McGonagall took over!  
  
Harry smiled at that. He wasn't surprised that with the war mostly over, Dumbledore had decided on a quite life. He wasn't a young man and had been showing his age a lot since the war started.  
  
Another surprise was that Fleur's sister Gabrielle has come to Hogwarts rather than going to Beauxbatons. She was Sorted into Gryffindor, and she was thrilled to be in 'Harry Potter's old House!' Jamie's taken her under her wing - so to speak - so she should be fine.  
  
Jamie and I miss you already and we hope you'll be able to come up and see us soon.  
  
With Love, Ginny.  
  
Another A/N: Ok folks! I'm going to leave it there for now! I'll be starting work on Chapter Two, which will jump forward a few months to the Gryffindor v Slytherin match, shortly, but in the meantime, let me know what you think. See you soon, Shamrock. 


	2. Chapter 2: Jamie's Début

Chapter 2: Jamie's Début.  
  
Harry and Romulus were in the locker room of the Training Centre. It was the second Friday of November and they'd just finished a gruelling two-hour fencing lesson, the last lesson of the week.  
  
"What are you doing this weekend?" Romulus asked.  
  
"Heading up to Hogwarts," Harry told his friend. "It's the first match of the Quidditch season tomorrow. Gryffindor against Slytherin. I promised Jamie I'd be there to see her."  
  
"She's playing today?" Romulus asked. He was still dressing as they talked - he strapped on his wand holster and knives, then slipped his robe on over them.  
  
"Yeah. It's her first game as Seeker." Harry confirmed, strapping his belt with the stick holster attached to it, round his waist. He checked that his wand and throwing knife were also securely in place then pulled on his robe. "She's pretty nervous about it."  
  
"I'd be surprised if she wasn't." Romulus said. "Tell her not to worry though, you Potters are natural Quidditch players."  
  
"I'll tell her." Harry confirmed. "I want to see Ginny too, of course."  
  
"Naturally."  
  
"Have you any plans?" Harry asked. "You could come up to Hogwarts with me?"  
  
"I think I will go to Diagon Alley. Mr Librium at Flourish and Blotts owled me this morning, apparently that book I ordered has come in. I also need to stock up on fluxweed and bicorn horn. I've run out, and we're doing Polyjuice in Potions next week. Do you need anything?"  
  
"I'm fine." Harry assured him. "I don't experiment with potions as much as you do, so my reserves last longer."  
  
"Ok, that makes sense." Romulus told him. "When are you leaving?"  
  
Harry glanced at his watch. "Soon. I want to catch them before they finish dinner."  
  
"Say hi for me."  
  
"I will." Harry promised and they left the changing rooms.  
  
----  
  
Harry appeared in the alley behind the Three Broomsticks with a pop. He straightened his long leather coat and walked over to the back entrance and walked in.  
  
The pub was rather quieter today than Harry was used to, only a few Hogsmeade residents were occupying the large room. Harry scanned the bar until he found the person he was looking for, a stocky young man with brown hair in brown workrobes and a black Hogwarts cloak.  
  
Harry got a couple of Butterbeers from Madame Rosmerta and walked over to the youth's table. "Is this seat taken?"  
  
The youth looked up and smiled. "Hi Harry!"  
  
"Hi Neville," said Harry, slipping into the seat opposite his friend's. "How's work?"  
  
Neville beamed, and took a slug from his mug before answering. "Great! Pomona's been really good to me. She's letting me take some of the first and second year classes already and she says that in a couple of years I'll be ready to take over."  
  
"Good for you, Neville." Harry told him, and he meant it. Neville had always been the odd man out in Gryffindor Tower, and Harry was glad to see that his friend had finally found his niche.  
  
They finished their drinks and then walked down the street to where a horseless carriage was waiting for them. Of course it wasn't really horseless, as both Neville and Harry could see, but rather pulled by the usual Threstral. They got in and the horse trotted back towards the gates.  
  
----  
  
When the carriage pulled up at the Main Door, Harry jumped out, leaving his small truck behind. Neville followed at a slightly slower pace. Glancing into the Great Hall through the window, he could see that dinner was only just beginning and that students were still filling in. A familiar flash of red hair was clearly visible near the far end of the Gryffindor table.  
  
Harry was never quite sure how they managed to get into the Great Hall without anyone spotting them, but somehow they managed it. Neville headed up to the Staff table, and Harry crept along the wall towards Ginny.  
  
She was chatting with Jamie and Mark about their first Care of Magical Creatures lesson, which - from what Harry could tell - had gone rather better than his first lesson had. Jamie looked up and spotted him, but Harry pressed a finger to his lips. She nodded and shifted so that a space opened up between her and Ginny.  
  
"Aren't you going to ask me to sit down, Gin?" Harry asked.  
  
Ginny started and then turned to face him. "Harry! You made it!"  
  
"Yep, I did." Harry confirmed, and as Ginny got up, he enfolded her in a big hug. "I missed you, love."  
  
"I missed you too, Harry."  
  
They stood holding each other for a couple of minutes, completely ignorant of the stares they were attracting.  
  
When they finally broke apart, they sat down. "How are you, Jamie?"  
  
"I'm fine, Harry. What happened to your glasses?"  
  
"I don't need them any more," Harry admitted. "The quartermaster fitted me for a pair of contact lenses. They've got some nice special features actually."  
  
"Like what?"  
  
"Well, they allow me to see in the dark, and if I concentrate hard enough, they act like Omnioculars."  
  
"Cool," said Jamie. "I want a pair of those."  
  
"They're restricted to Aurors and MLES field operatives I'm afraid."  
  
Jamie shrugged. "I was thinking about joining the Aurors anyway."  
  
"How's practise going?"  
  
"Pretty good I think," Ginny told him. "Harvey's shaping up to be an even better Keeper than Ron, and Roberta's a brilliant Chaser."  
  
"And I know Jamie's good, because I trained her myself." Harry finished. "Well, it should be a good game tomorrow then."  
  
They chatted amicably throughout the meal, and when it was over, Neville came over. "Harry, Professor McGonagall asked me to tell you that Dobby has set up the old DA quarters for you."  
  
"Thanks Neville. Will you join us?"  
  
"Sorry, can't tonight, Harry. Pomona's asked me to mark some of the third- year essays over the weekend. I need to get started tonight if I'm going to go to the game."  
  
"I'll see you in the morning then." Harry said.  
  
On the way out, they stopped to say hello to a few of students: Colin and Dennis, Sharon and Roberta, Harvey Johnson, and even Gabrielle Delacour, who blushed when Harry spoke to her. Clearly Ginny had been right about her crush on him.  
  
Harry, Ginny, Jamie and Mark retired to Harry's old quarters, and were joined in fairly short order by Anita and Luna, and then a little later by Remus and Leona. They caught up on each other's news, Remus was particularly pleased when he heard of Harry's success in the Defence Against the Dark Arts class, and Leona was glad that he wasn't having too much trouble with the potions element of the course.  
  
It was nearly curfew time when they finally exhausted their conversation. Remus agreed that Ginny could stay with Harry if she wanted to, but insisted on escorting Jamie, Luna and Mark back to their respective common rooms, and Leona agreed to take Anita back to hers.  
  
----  
  
"Good morning, everyone. And welcome to the first game of Quidditch season. Today, the defending champions - Gryffindor -" The majority of the spectators cheered loudly. "Will take on their fiercest rivals, Slytherin!"  
  
"Must be rather different watching it from this angle, Harry?" asked McGonagall, who was sitting a couple of seats across from him in the front row.  
  
"It is Professor," Harry admitted. "Although it's nice to be doing it for good reasons."  
  
McGonagall nodded, "You can call me Minerva, Harry. You are no longer my student."  
  
"I will always willing to learn from you, Prof-Minerva."  
  
"Thank you, Harry."  
  
The two teams, clad in red and green respectively, had arrived on the pitch.  
  
"Both teams have under gone changes in their line-up this year under their new Captains, Ginny Weasley and Malcolm Baddock. Baddock has had to recruit an almost entirely new team, while Weasley has only made three changes, all from her list of reserves from last year. How can the fledging Slytherin stand-up against the might of Gryffindor."  
  
McGonagall sighed. "Filius, try to chose a less biased commentator next time."  
  
"I think a biased commentator's more fun." Harry commented. "I mean, the non-Gryffindor matches can be pretty dull when he's commentating."  
  
McGonagall appeared to weigh this up for before nodding. "You may have a point, Harry. I will bear that in mind."  
  
Ginny and Baddock went into the centre of the field for the traditional Captain's Handshake. Harry used the Amplificarus Charm in his contact lenses to zoom in on the pair, just in time to see Ginny wince as Baddock squeezed her hand tightly. Madam Hooch released the balls a few seconds later, and Gryffindor's point Chaser Roberta Sommers - a short, stocky, dark-blond third year - snared it as it was still ascending and shot for the goal, with Ginny and Sharon only a few yards behind her on either side.  
  
"Sommers ducks a Bludger, sent her way by Beater Creel of Slytherin, she passes back to Gryffindor Captain Ginny Weasley, who shots. and scores!"  
  
"Yes!" Harry exclaimed, pumping the air in excitement. "Go Ginny!"  
  
"Gryffindor begin the game at ten to nothing and are still in possession. Chaser Skelton with the Quaffle."  
  
The play continued along its usual one-sided path for quite a while, with Gryffindor overwhelming Slytherin at every turn. It wasn't until forty minutes into the game that things began to turn Slytherin's way: A lucky hit from Cole Gibson, the other new Beater took Skelton out of play, and a push by all three Slytherin Chasers at the same time - backed up by Creel - managed to knock the rest of Gryffindor off balance for a while. They soon rallied and drove the Slytherins back, but not before they had taken ten shots at Gryffindor's Keeper, five of which Johnson missed.  
  
"That's not good," said Neville.  
  
Harry laughed. "Nev, Gryffindor's sixty points up, even with that push, and Slytherin would get another chance like that. Besides, Jamie's guaranteed to beat Flint to the Snitch."  
  
For a while, Harry's predictions didn't seem to be coming true though, as Ginny and Roberta, backed up by the two Gryffindor Beaters, managed to score only three more times to Slytherin's four.  
  
They were just diving in for another shot, Ginny in the lead on the left flank, when Harry noticed a glint of gold out of one eye. The Quaffle flew through one of the hoops and Harry focused in on it. It was the Golden Snitch, and Jamie was about ten feet away and closing fast, the Slytherin Seeker was over on the other side of pitch and obvious.  
  
"Gryffindor wins!" declared Abercrombie seconds later, as Jamie raised her arm in the air to show the Snitch clasped in her fist and Madam Hooch blew the final whistle.  
  
"See, I told you they'd win," Harry said to Neville as they dismounted for the staff stand, and headed for the changing rooms.  
  
----  
  
Harry woke up at late on Christmas Eve, he'd been out on the traditional pre-Christmas drinking night with the other cadets and a few of the younger officers the night before and hadn't got back until the early hours of the morning.  
  
He glanced at the clock, it read ten-past eight. He stripped off the Muggle shirt and black jeans he'd fallen asleep in and pulled on his favourite trousers, a long-sleeved T-shirt and last year's Weasley jumper, which was growing a little tight. He slipped his weapons belt back on and was just about to finish dressing by putting on his dragonhide coat when a huge jolt of pain ripped through his heart and he dropped to his knees, his chest throbbing in pain and a terrible feeling of weakness at his core. After a few seconds he realised that there was a whining noise coming from his trunk. He tried to move towards it but he couldn't, so he did the only thing available to him.  
  
"Accio!"  
  
There was a ripping, splintering sound and the source of the noise tore out through the side of the trunk and dropped into Harry's outstretched hand. It was the box containing the Sceptre of Amor. Harry ripped open the box and removed the Sceptre. It was glowing a strange blue-green and Harry could feel that one of the channels of power within it was being disturbed, being blocked. by some force it couldn't handle. It only took Harry about half-a-second to narrow down which link was blocked. It was the link to the Libido Ruby, which could mean only one thing.  
  
"Ginny." Harry gasped, and screwing up his concentration and what power he could muster, he disappeared with a pop.  
  
----  
  
He appeared a few seconds later outside the Burrow. For a brief moment he wondered if something else had gone wrong, then he remembered the anti- Apparation ward around the Burrow and Ginny's plan to spend a few days with her family before coming up to Gryphon's Eyrie.  
  
The pain was starting to ebb now, and Harry removed his sticks from his belt and twisted them together, then leaning on it, he rose and hobbled towards the front door of the house.  
  
It was a few minutes before his knock was answered. Curiously by Penelope of all people. Harry started, but then remembered that the Burrow had been her home since Percy's death. "I need to see, Ginny."  
  
"She doesn't want to speak to you, Potter." Penelope snapped, and moved to close the door.  
  
"You don't understand! I need to talk to her!!!" Harry said. "I don't know what's wrong. but it's killing me!"  
  
The blood drained a little from Penelope's face and she stepped aside.  
  
"Is she in her room?" Harry asked hoarsely.  
  
Penelope nodded.  
  
"Thank you." Harry said and began to hobble up the stairs. He was nearly exhausted when he finally reached the third landing, and he groaned when saw that Mrs Weasley was attempting to gain entry to Ginny's room, which was clearly locked from the inside and from the sounds of it, contained a very upset Ginny Weasley.  
  
"Mrs. Weasley." Harry gasped.  
  
Mrs Weasley turned, and saw Harry. Her face briefly took on it's rather uncanny impersonation of a sabretooth tiger's, but this faded when she saw how bad he looked. "Are you okay, Harry?"  
  
"No," Harry admitted. "Something's wrong, something to do with the link between my magic and Ginny's. it's very painful. Do you know what happened?"  
  
"I'm not sure, Harry," Mrs Weasley admitted. "All I know is. she was fine this morning until the Prophet arrived, and then she got into a rage and she hasn't left her room, or stopped crying since. That was ten minutes ago."  
  
Harry groaned. He knew what must have happened. "I need to get in there. talk to her. explain."  
  
"We can't get in," Mrs Weasley told him. "I've tried every unlocking spell I know and none of them work."  
  
"They wouldn't," Harry told her. "She's probably using a spell that I taught her. It's an old Caelumi spell that only the caster and their soulmate can break. Only a handful of mortals have ever learnt it."  
  
He dragged himself up to the doorknob and grasped it hard. "Ansera!" The lock clicked open and Harry lurched into the room.  
  
It took him a couple of seconds to orientate himself and then he moved towards Ginny. "Ginny. love, what's wrong?"  
  
"Get away from me, Potter!" yelled Ginny and threw a spell at him.  
  
Harry brought his right hand up, fingers wide apart. "Protego!"  
  
Ginny sagged back down into her bed as the spell shattered harmlessly against Harry's flickering, but strong Shield. Harry glanced back at Mrs Weasley and gave her a look that clearly said. Leave this to me. Surprisingly, Mrs Weasley nodded and left.  
  
Harry turned back to Ginny, and moved closer. "What's wrong, Ginny?"  
  
"As if you don't know!"  
  
"Ginny, I honestly don't. I've done nothing."  
  
"Then explain this, Potter!" snarled Ginny and tossed a copy of the morning's Prophet at him. Harry grasped at it, but at the same time he lost his balance and fell against the old camp bed - Hermione's bed - that still sat on the other side of the room.  
  
He opened it up and it was immediately obvious what had annoyed Ginny enough to interfere with their link. The headline read. Harry Potter, the Boy-Who-Cheated? The large photo showed Harry in the Blade and Wand pub in Devon, at a table with a woman who was not Ginny, and whose hand was held in his own.  
  
Harry groaned, then smiled.  
  
"You think cheating on me is funny, Potter?!!"  
  
"Ginny. I would never do that. It would kill me to betray you." Harry told her. Probably literally if how I'm feeling right now is any guide.  
  
"Then explain that photo!"  
  
"Okay. I admit I was in the Blade and Wand last night. A big group of guys, and some girls, from the COT Centre go there every year."  
  
"To pick up girls for a bit of fun I suppose!"  
  
"It's not like that! You can ask Hermione or Katie, they were there."  
  
"Well then why were you hand-in-hand with this woman!"  
  
"Ginny, you don't understand. that's Blaise."  
  
"Don't you think I know what Blaise Zabini looks like by now! Make up a better story!"  
  
"It is true. she's a Metamorphmagus. But she doesn't like to use her powers."  
  
Ginny's expression softened a little. "That still doesn't explain why you were holding her hand and making eyes at her!"  
  
Harry sighed. "It wasn't what it looked like! You know the Prophet reporters as well as I do. They'll do anything for a cheap story. And that old hag Maledicta's the worst of the lot!"  
  
Harry saw that Ginny was really beginning to listen, and he rushed on. "Ginny, just over a year ago. I gave you the ring that is on your right hand now. Amor's Libido Ruby, his Stone of passion and love. Do you remember what I told you that day?"  
  
"That I was your soulmate, your girlfriend, and your love," said Ginny in a whisper.  
  
Harry nodded. "Nothing has changed about my feelings for you since I said that. Except that we are now even more together than we were then. I could never betray our love, Ginny. my heart won't let me. He wouldn't let me. Please. you must believe me!"  
  
"I do believe you, Harry." Ginny told him softly. Harry crawled over to the bed and sat down on it. Ginny pulled him into an embrace and down onto the bed. "I'm sorry for doubting you."  
  
"That's okay, love," Harry assured. "I'm sorry you got upset."  
  
They fell into a light sleep, wrapped in each other's arms, the newly restored power of their link hummed softly around them.  
  
When the bustle of Christmas Eve woke them a couple of hours later. Ginny frowned. "What were you and Blaise doing?"  
  
Harry chuckled. "I've told you about Leonard Kelly, haven't I? The Healer assigned to the COT Centre."  
  
Ginny nodded. "You said you all try and avoid him."  
  
Harry nodded. "We do. Blaise thought she's cracked a bone in her hand sparring early. I said I'd take a look at it and see if I could use that Bone Knitting Charm you taught me over the summer to fix it. It was cracked, and I did."  
  
"So it was perfectly innocent."  
  
"Yep. Let that be a lesson to both of us."  
  
Ginny nodded and the two of them straightened their clothes and headed down to see the rest of the family.  
  
A/N: Hope I didn't scare you too badly at the end there. I've had a few nice reviews lately, and I thank you all for them. I'm sorry this took so long to get up, and I'm afraid the next one probably won't be up any quicker as I'm going to be starting back to University on Monday. Keep reviewing though, and I will have the next chapter up as soon as I can. 


	3. Chapter 3: Wedding Bells

Chapter 3: Wedding Bells  
  
Harry adjusted the collar of his cream shirt nervously as he made his way up towards the stage in the Grand Hall of the Combined Operations Training Centre, where Director Wright and the commanders of the Inquisitor Branch and the Dark Force Defence League were standing. Gathered around Harry were the other three Aurors, and the five Inquisitors that he had trained with for the last three years. Today, they would be made full members of their respective organisations, with all the rights and responsibilities that entailed, and Harry was rather nervous at the prospect.  
  
Director Wright walked to the podium flanked by Assistant Commander Graydon, and Deputy Assistant Commander Peel, head of the Inquisitor Branch of the MLES.  
  
"Good morning everyone," he said, looking out into the packed audience, which included most of Harry's closest friends. "We are here today to witness the ascension to the ranks of the Ministry law enforcers, of ten of best students we have ever had the pleasure of having on our training programmes."  
  
He turned to the assembled trainees. "Now, when I call your name, come forward and accept your badge and uniform from either AC Graydon or DAC Peel, depended on your chosen service."  
  
He unrolled the parchment, and read the first name at the top of the list. "Bones, Susan." Susan broke away from the knot of trainees and took her own blue-and-silver robe and gold badge from Peel and went to sit with her sister and Justin Finch-Fletchley. Terry Boot, who was made an Inquisitor, followed him up to the podium a moment later.  
  
When Hermione's name was called, she beamed, and rushed forward, eagerly accepted her own uniform from Peel, and then rushed down the stairs to sit between her mother and Ron. Debra Ling was awarded the cream-and-gold robe and gold badge of an Auror, then Ernie MacMillian became an Inquisitor and then Romulus joined Ling. Finally it was Harry's turn.  
  
"Good luck, Mr Potter," said Graydon, gripping Harry's hand tightly after he handed over Harry's things. "You're a great wizard and will be a fine Auror."  
  
"Thank you, sir."  
  
"You might want to examine your badge, Potter," commented the Director. "You may get a surprise."  
  
Harry almost asked what he meant, but decided to check the badge instead and hurried off the stage, dropping into the empty seat between Ginny and Jamie just as the next trainee, Jean-Pierre Roche of the Inquisitors, received his things. Zacharias Smith became an Inquisitor, and Blaise was invested as an Auror, then it was all over.  
  
The entire audience filed out to the buffet that had been set up in the next room. But Harry's keen ears picked up Hermione speaking to Ron. Harry raised his eyebrows and turned around, then smiled. The expensive ring nested in the velvet box told him all he needed to know. Ron had proposed to Hermione and her response ("Of course I will, Ron.") meant that she had accepted. "Congratulations!"  
  
Both his best friends turned at Harry's shout, and blushed. "Thanks Harry."  
  
"Will you be my best man?" Ron asked.  
  
Harry smiled. "I'd love to, Ron. In fact, I'd be insulted if you asked anyone else."  
  
----  
  
"I'm beginning to wish he had now," Harry moaned as he sank into a chair in one of the smaller lounges at Gryphon's Eyrie. Remus, who had returned from Hogwarts a few days earlier, looked up from his book and raised his eyebrows.  
  
"I've been trying to sort out the arrangements for the wedding," Harry told him. "Ginny's too busy with her summer assignments to do much, she's sorting out the dresses for the bridesmaids, but I've got to handle to handle everything else. Today, I had to go down to Hogwarts to check the catering arrangements with the house-elves. Boy, I'll never complain about Velky's efficiency ever again. Dobby was on one of his rare days off and I had to deal with a particularly excitable female house-elf called Likky. It took me over an hour to get her to calm down long enough so I could ask her about the cake, and the whole thing took four hours."  
  
"Sounds like you need a drink," commented Sirius, who had come in the middle of the conversation.  
  
"A spot of Alik's Ancient Ale sounds good," Harry agreed.  
  
Sirius grinned, and reached into one of the cabinets along one wall of the room and with drew two icy bottles, one of which he threw in Harry's direction.  
  
Harry caught it easily, popped off the lid and took a big slug from it. "That's better."  
  
"Best Man duties giving you problems?" Sirius asked. Harry nodded. "Yeah, getting married is the easy bit, it's everything that needs to be done beforehand that's the hard part."  
  
"Well, I intend to make sure everything goes fine," Harry said. "Nothing is going to spoil my best friends' wedding. Not if I can do anything to stop it."  
  
"It'll be fine, Harry," Remus assured him. "Ron and Hermione have faith in you, we all do."  
  
"Thanks Remus, I need all the help I can get at the moment."  
  
----  
  
Did you manage to get the dresses today, love?" Harry asked as he slipped into bed beside Ginny a few nights later.  
  
Ginny - who was still engrossed in one of her poisons books - nodded and snuggled in next to Harry. "Hermione's dress is amazing and I must admit Madam Malkin did a good job on the other dresses too. She's expecting you, Ron and the groomsmen and male ushers for a fitting on Friday."  
  
"I know, Gin. I arranged it," Harry reminded her. "Don't worry, we'll be there." He reached over Ginny and eased her book out of her hand, cast a wandless Place Marking Charm on it, and put it on the side of the bed. Ginny tried to protest, but Harry quickly silenced her. "Ginny, you've had a long day and you need your sleep. You know most of that stuff anyway and you have all summer to revise what you don't."  
  
"I know, Harry," Ginny told him. "It just seems like there isn't time to do everything."  
  
"I know, love," Harry assured her. "But now is time for sleeping, not studying. Okay?"  
  
"Okay."  
  
Ginny twisted around so she was spooned against Harry, and he wrapped his arms around her. In that position, they fell asleep.  
  
----  
  
Still somewhat leery of reporters since his encounter with Melinda Maledicta about two -and-a-half years before, Harry decided to hold Ron's bachelor party at the fairly out of the way, but easily controlled, Three Broomsticks pub in Hogsmeade. He had a few things he needed to do first so by the time he arrived at the pub on Ron's stag night - which took place two days before the wedding - the party was already well underway in the corner Harry had reserved for them. Ron was there, as were the other Weasley brothers, Romulus and Sirius. Harry got a beer from Madam Rosmerta and joined his friends.  
  
They hadn't been drinking long before more guest started to trickle in; Neville, Remus and Hagrid walked down from the castle a bit later, and two of Ron's squad - Peter Roberts and Carl Pinkerton - turned up about two hours into the event.  
  
The party itself was rather tame, the twins had obviously decided to get the groom and the best man, completely drunk. Ron was a semi-willing participant in this endeavour and by midnight he was in fact too drunk to stand. Harry on the other hand was having none of it, he agreed to have a couple of shots of Firewhiskey, but other than that had only a couple of beers and two or three Butterbeers, which with a Sobriety Spell in place, was nowhere near enough to get him anything more than slightly tipsy.  
  
However, when the majority of the party dragged themselves up to the rooms Harry had booked upstairs at about two a.m., they were feeling rather worse for wear, a feeling that was compounded when they woke later that morning with raging headaches and rather nasty cases of nausea.  
  
Harry and Romulus were the only ones not to be feeling any serious after- effects of the nights drinking - largely due to the Sobriety Spells they'd both applied before they joined the group - and so they got in some strong coffee and after fortifying it with one or two potions from their belt pouches, they handed out steaming cups of it to everyone and they were able dress and go down to breakfast.  
  
"Well, that's the stag party over," Harry commented to Ron a few minutes later, over a plate of bacon and eggs. "Just the main event to go."  
  
"Don't remind me, Harry," Ron moaned. "I'm scared out of my mind about it."  
  
"It'll be fine," Harry assured him. "You're doing the right thing."  
  
"Thanks Harry. You're a pal."  
  
"I'm always glad to help."  
  
----  
  
"And then he said. whatever House she's in, I hope I'm not in it!" Harry told the assembled guests. This earned him several chuckles, and glares from both the bride and groom.  
  
"But, fortunately, as you know, all three of us were Sorted into the same House. Gryffindor. Ron and I didn't get on very well with Hermione at first, but then on our first Halloween at Hogwarts, something happened that brought us together. we faced a full-grown mountain troll which had been let into the castle by a professor working for Voldemort." Many of audience shivered at the mention of the Dark Lord's name, even four years after his defeat, he was still feared. "During that year we also worked together to save the Philosopher's Stone from Voldemort and that brought us even closer together.  
  
"The three of us were close from then on, but it wasn't until our fourth year that anything really changed. That was when Viktor Krum came along." Here he paused, as if pondering what to say. "Despite what many people said at the time, most notably Rita Skeeter of the Daily Prophet, I never saw him as a threat. a rival. in fact, I was quite surprised when Viktor himself believed the rumours about me and Hermione. But Viktor's short lived and innocent relationship with Hermione did accomplish one thing. it made Ron realise that Hermione was a girl, and it made those of us who knew him well, suspect that he might have deeper feelings for her.  
  
"Now, I don't know exactly how long it took for Ron to act on his feelings, but by the beginning of our sixth year there were definite signs of a little romance behind the scenes. They finally 'went public', after Gryffindor's first match of that season, and they've dated ever since. The day Hermione graduated - at the top of her class and with one of the highest marks in recent history - from the Inquisitor Training Program, Ron proposed to her, she accepted, and you all know what happened next."  
  
"I ask you to raise your glasses. to Ron and Hermione! May their love sustain them for a long time to come."  
  
The Great Hall echoed with calls of 'Ron and Hermione', the loudest coming from bridesmaids (Luna, Blaise, Fleur and Tonks), the ushers (Neville, Romulus, Bill and Charlie) and the Maid of Honour. Harry sat down between Ginny and Jamie and helped himself to the food, grinning to himself when he noticed that Ron was still scowling also not with any real anger.  
  
The reception lasted well into the night, and it only began to break up, once people realised that the guests of honour had in fact departed several hours before. Harry admitted that they were probably already at the honeymoon destination, which he refused to disclose saying only that he knew where they were, and that only he could contact them. They intended to return in two weeks at which time Hermione would be assigned to an Inquisitor unit and begin her career.  
  
----  
  
A year later, Harry was on a field assignment leading the Donnerkeil Squad of Special Tactical Unit of the Hit Wizards Branch, when a thought that had been chased around his head for quite some time finally crystallised into a clear idea. "Let's get this over with," he told the squad. "Intel indicates that Warrington is guarded by Vampires, specifically Vetuni, so our wands won't be much use."  
  
"We know, Harry," Sergeant Dean Thomas, now a Sergeant in the STU, reminded him. He reached behind his back and unshipped his rifle from its carrying pouch, it was a customised Heckler & Koch G3 automatic rifle, the standard issue rifle for Hit Wizards. His squad followed suit and Harry reached down the holster at his belt and removed one of the two Desert Eagle .44 Magnums that he had brought with him.  
  
The eleven Hit Wizards and one Auror moved silently to the door of the large house. Two Hit Wizards, Carl Luken and Alan Bennett, both strong brawny fellows, took position either side of the door. One of Dean's corporals, Vince Emhart, took position in front of the doors. "On my count." he said. "Three. two. one. Oblitter?rre!"  
  
The wooden door was smashed to smithereens and the team moved forward only to be met by concerted resistance in form of thirty Vetuni, who managed to take down Corporal Emhart and Officer Luken before the team could react. Dean and Bennett opened fire with the their rifles joined a breath later by Harry and the other Hit Wizards. The Exploding Fluid-tipped Argentium rounds made quick work of the opposition, accounting for almost all of them within a minute, the last two were taken down by one of Harry's glaives.  
  
With his 'welcoming committee' disposed of, it was easy work to locate Warrington and arrest him. Dean took custody of him, and used a special Portkey to transport them back to the Ministry. Harry filed his report on the operation with Tonks - his immediate superior - and then Apparated to Diagon Alley where he picked up a small package from Gringotts.  
  
Upon returning home, he discovered that Ginny had gone for a walk in the hills above the castle. Deciding that he could probably catch up with her easiest in his Animagus form he transformed.  
  
A few minutes later, Ginny was a little startled when a sleek black panther came up behind her. Her hand flew to her hand, but before she could draw Harry transformed back.  
  
"Harry! You're back!" she exclaimed, running over to him and smiling as he folded her into his arms. "Good mission?"  
  
"It was a success."  
  
"Good."  
  
"Ginny, I've been thinking about asking you this for over a year now. and I think now is the right time." He reached into his pocket and took out a small black jewellery box. He flicked it open and a small, delicate gold ring topped with a large ruby was revealed. "Virginia Weasley, will you marry me?"  
  
"Of course I will, Harry." Ginny told him, and paused just long enough for Harry to slip the gold band around her finger, then she reached up, and drew his head down for a very passionate kiss.  
  
A/N: Sorry about the long wait, but University has been a killer recently. I'm not sure when the next chap will be up, but it probably won't be for at least a week. In the meantime, please review. 


	4. Chapter 4: The Hunt Begins

Chapter 4: The Hunt Begins  
  
Harry was just leaving the Nimbus Arena after conducting another fruitless interview when a familiar bird appeared in a puff of feathers. He was carrying a short note. "Hello Fawkes, is that for me?"  
  
The phoenix trilled what Harry could only guess was a 'yes', and allowed him to take the note. Harry unfolded it and scanned it quickly:  
  
Dear Harry,  
  
After the defeat of Voldemort and our departure from Hogwarts I had hoped that I would no longer need to call on your services, but I fear I must. I have lost contact with two members of the Order whom I am still in contact with, and I need someone to investigate. They should be found in the flat above the Sherwood Florister flower shop in Nottingham or in the shop itself, however you will need to Floo to an abandoned house on Locksley Avenue two streets away, as for some reason the Floo connection to the shop has been cut and Apparation is impossible due to it's location in a Muggle area. Thank you in advance for your help.  
  
Albus Dumbledore  
  
Harry growled in frustration but then sighed, trying to recall where the nearest Floo point was. It took a few minutes to locate, but he finally did and came out in a damp, dark shell of a house that had clearly not been used in some time. He was dressed in smart casual Muggle clothes anyway so that wasn't a problem and so he left through a broken window, and headed down the street towards the flower shop.  
  
As he approached, he noticed that the door was swinging open and everything was dark, the hairs on the back of his neck prickled as he came to the conclusion that something probably was wrong. He tapped the lining of his coat once and a hidden pocket appeared in the lining, he extracted a small radio transceiver from it and switched it on.  
  
"AS Scar to DMLE Operations. Code Three Urgent."  
  
The radio crackled for a second and then a tinny voice came out. "This is DMLE Operations, go ahead."  
  
"I'm outside a wizard-owned flower shop in Nottingham called the Sherwood Florister. It looks like it may have been attacked," Harry said. "I want an STU squad, and Inquisitor and medi-wizard teams on immediate standby. I'm going to check it out."  
  
"Message received Sergeant. Requested personnel will be alerted. Standing by."  
  
Harry clipped the radio to the outside pocket of his coat and then reached behind himself and removed his standby weapon from its holster in the small of his back. It was a short-barrelled Dan Wesson .357 Magnum revolver, nowhere near as powerful as the weapons he carried on regular duties but easier to conceal. He nudged open the door and entered. A cursory scan of the hall was enough to tell him what he needed to know. He tried to call it in but the radio didn't work so he left quickly and tried again outside. "AS Scar to DMLE Operations, are you receiving? Over."  
  
"Receiving you loud and clear, Sergeant. What's your situation? Over."  
  
"I need that back-up here ASAP," Harry told the controller. "They'll have to come in through the Floo point two streets away, everything else is blocked. Ask the DFDL Duty Inspector to come down too, I think we've got a possible Dementor or Vampire killing."  
  
"Understood. Hold position at the perimeter until back-up arrives."  
  
"I will," Harry promised. "Scar out."  
  
----  
  
Reinforcements weren't long in coming, and soon Harry re-entered the flat above the flower shop with Ron, Seamus and five of their squad at his back - Hermione, Susan, and the four remaining Hit Wizards stayed outside. The shop had clearly been vandalised, but other that there wasn't anything terribly remarkable about it, it wasn't until they reached the flat on the first floor that Harry's worst fears were realised.  
  
The main door at the foot of the staircase had been broken open and there were clear signs of disturbance, including a couple of dark stains that looked suspiciously liked dried blood and some other powdery black residue that Harry couldn't readily identify. The adjoining living room bore similar signs of an attack but was also empty. The master bedroom however was not.  
  
There were three people in the room: a blond woman in her late twenties, a slighter older man with a blond beard and a young child, also blond, who was hunched behind them. Harry, Ron and two of the Hit Wizards entered the room, Seamus and the other three continued up the corridor to the second bedroom and bathroom. None of the three were moving - Harry guessed they were either unconscious or dead - the two adults had visible burn-like wounds to their chests and abdomens, but he couldn't see if the boy had any injuries from where he was standing because he was curled into a foetal position with his arms shielding his head and his knees drawn up against his torso. He turned to one of the Hit Wizard squad, "Check them over."  
  
The woman put down her rifle and moved forward, checking first the two adults then the boy. She frowned and looked up. "They're dead," she said, indicating the adults. "The kid - who is probably theirs is just unconscious, but he's got some really weird injuries I can't account for."  
  
Before Harry could respond, Seamus ducked his head back in the room. "All clear, Harry, Ron."  
  
"Excellent, let's get the teams in," Harry decided. He was just about to send one of the Hit Wizards down, when he had a thought. He unhooked the transceiver from his belt and spoke into it. "Sergeant Scar to Inspector Granger. Do you receive? Over."  
  
"Loud and clear. Are you ready for us?"  
  
"Affirmative. Have Sergeant Bones run a sweep of the shop, I want you up here with the medi-wizards immediately. We have a live one."  
  
"Received, on our way."  
  
It didn't take them long to get up there, and after a cursory - but largely fruitless - examination of the bodies and of the boy by Hermione and the two medi-wizards, the pair conjured stretchers and lifted them onto them. After a quick check by one of Ron's team to make sure it was safe to do so, they activated their Port-keys and all five disappeared with a 'pop'. Hermione took a small wizarding camera out of her bag and after asking the others to step outside she started to take pictures of the scene, occasionally stopping to take a sample or bag something for evidence.  
  
This went on for a while, so eventually Ron dismissed all but two of his team and told Seamus to take them back to base. About five minutes after they left, Susan joined them on the top floor having completed her investigations of the shop below. They continued silently through the flat until loud thumping on the stairs interrupted them. Harry groaned, the on- call Inspector had arrived, and unless he was very much mistaken, it was the one person that he had been hoping it wouldn't be.  
  
When the source of the noise crossed the threshold, the awful truth was revealed, it was indeed Inspector Theodore Sicarius.  
  
----  
  
When Harry reappeared with a pop in the entrance hall of St Mungo's about half an hour later, his head was still reeling from the hostile reception that he had received from Inspector Sicarius upon the later's arrival.  
  
The man's dismissal of the case as a 'pair of stupid Mudbloods that got out of their depth' was ludicrous in the extreme and his allegation that Hermione was a 'silly little Mudblood that shouldn't talk back to her betters' had made Harry's blood boil, and if he and Seamus hadn't been there to hold him back, Harry rather expected that Ron would have attacked the older man then and there. As it was, he had confiscated all the evidence and sent away, telling him that no further action needed to be taken.  
  
Naturally, Harry hadn't been terribly happy with this idea, so as soon as he was clear of the scene and out of sight of Muggles he Apparated straight to St Mungo's.  
  
Harry's luck as in, as it happened to be Ginny's night on call as Healer for Creature Induced Injuries and he ran into her just as soon as he reached the Pyroneus Salamander Ward. Ginny beamed. "Hi Harry! Have you come to see me?"  
  
"Actually I haven't Gin, but I'm glad you're here all the same," Harry admitted. "Have you any kids brought in, in the last hour?"  
  
Ginny nodded. "One, according to the Matron, his name's Hawkin O'Connor. Why?"  
  
Harry took her to one side and embraced her so that he could whisper in her ear. "He's the only witness to a pair of very odd deaths that took place a few hours ago in Nottingham. According to Inspector Sicarius there's nothing suspicious about them, but I saw the aftermath and I don't believe him so."  
  
"You're doing a little unofficial investigating of your own," Ginny finished.  
  
Harry nodded. "What can you tell me?"  
  
"Nothing officially of course, as you're not part of any investigation," Ginny told him. "But, if you were to assume that he had sustained serious burns to his face that have rendered him blind, but that he was otherwise okay, you won't be making wild guesses."  
  
"Okay, thanks." Harry sighed. "Does he have any family?"  
  
"No, he doesn't," Ginny admitted. "I'm not sure what's going to happen to him."  
  
Harry's eyes narrowed, a though had just crossed his mind but wasn't sure if it was a good one or not. After thinking it over for a while, he decided it couldn't hurt to ask. "Ginny, once he safe to move, would it be possible to have him released into your care?"  
  
"Probably. Why?"  
  
"Just do it for me," Harry urged her. "I'll explain when you get home."  
  
"Okay, I'll try."  
  
"That's all I ask, love."  
  
After sharing a brief but tender kiss, they parted company, Harry headed back downstairs to return to the office, and Ginny continued on her rounds.  
  
----  
  
Harry Potter was known for being a lot of things, but a sufferer of fools was not one of them, and that probably one of main reasons why he wasn't terribly pleased when three more children - Daniel O'Neil, Cassandra Brown and Stephanie Caine - were all orphaned within nine months of the Sherwood Florister Incident. On every occasion, either Theodore Sicarius or his close friend Jenkins were the first Inspector on the scene and were scrupulous in their confiscation of the evidence and their cover-up. However, Harry's wide-ranging contacts enabled him to circumvent their conspiracy: Hermione, Susan and Ernie were all too glad to report the incidents to him, and Romulus' post in Intel Analysis enabled him to gain access to the records department to retrieve the files. Harry didn't want to tip his hand too early just in case he was being a little paranoid, but Sicarius' cover-up of the death of world-renowned Vampire Hunter Paul 'Angedemort' Vallis in the spring of 2009 finally tipped his hand. He called in a few favours and managed to get a closed-door session with Deputy Assistant-Commander Messervy, Head of Domestic Security and Kingsley, who was know the DAC's Head of Special Task Forces, and DAC Connors from the Magical Integrity Branch of the DMLE's Legal Affairs Commission.  
  
"What can we do for you Sergeant?" asked Messervy. "You do realise yours was a rather unusual request?"  
  
"Yes sir," Harry admitted. "And if you bear with me for a few moments all will become clear."  
  
"Make it brief, AS Potter," warned DAC Connors. "My time is short."  
  
"And I don't intend to waste it, sir." Harry told him. "Over the past nine months, I - along with contacts in the DFDL, the MLES, and St Mungo's - have been tracking the suppression of investigations, into a series of unusual attacks on Muggleborns, by two members of my own Branch: Auror Inspector Theodore Sicarius and Auror Inspector Michael Jenkins."  
  
"Those are very serious allegations, Sergeant. Can you prove them."  
  
"Yes Commander, I can," Harry told him. "I was present at the scenes of two of these murders - the killing of Moira O'Connor and Oliver Lance on the 5th of May 2008 and the killing of Paul Vallis, known in vampire hunting circles as Angedemort, the 'Angel of Death'. I have also obtained Pensieve evidence from at least three people who attended each of the other scenes and if you compare it to these records." Here he tapped a series of folders he had laid on the long table. "You will see that the Inspectors intentionally reported the wrong information, for reasons that as yet unknown."  
  
"If your allegations are proved to be accurate, what would you see done, Sergeant?" asked Messervy.  
  
"I have. no opinion on what should done with the Inspectors, sir." Harry told him. "But I feel that the cases are clearly connected and should be investigated immediately and thoroughly."  
  
"I see," said Messervy. "It will take us some time to review your submission, Sergeant. Please return in three days, you will have our answer then."  
  
"Thank you sir," said Harry, he saluted the three men and then left, closing the door behind himself.  
  
----  
  
When Harry arrived at work three days later, there was a note from Kingsley in his in-tray. It was short and to the point:  
  
Scar,  
  
The DAC's and I have discussed the evidence you submitted to us three days ago and have come to our decision. Please come to see me in my office at 10am this morning and we will talk.  
  
Sovereign.  
  
Harry nodded to himself and crumbled up the small piece of parchment and then disposed of it with a simple wandless Shredding Charm. Then he leaned over to remove the next piece of mail from his tray, which turned out to be a copy of the report of an autopsy carried out of the body of Paul Vallis, which told Harry nothing new.  
  
He presented himself to Kingsley at the appointed time. The Auror captain and former Order member was in the middle of signing off an a report so it was a minute or two before he noticed Harry. "Harry, you're here! Have a seat."  
  
"Thank you, sir."  
  
"Harry, we're alone, you can call me Kingsley."  
  
"Okay," Harry agreed. "What have the DAC's decided, Kingsley?"  
  
Kingsley sighed. "After considered the evidence you presented, and checking your story with several witnesses, they have decided that AI Sicarius and AI Jenkins will be suspended effective immediately, and will subject to irrigation by the MIB to determine what they did, with the possibility of a full Wizengamot trial at a later date."  
  
"Good. What about the murders?"  
  
"Given the spread of the killings it seems likely that national security is involved, so the National Security Task Force is being activated effective noon today to look into it. As you have already done some work on the case, you're being transferred to the NS Task Force as of now."  
  
"What about the fraud investigation, Kingsley?"  
  
"That investigation isn't going anywhere. Lieutenant Foley believes that an undercover operative should be sent in, which obviously takes you out anyway. Do you have thoughts on a suitable candidate? You know most of the Aurors we have with a Quidditch background."  
  
"I recommend Katie, Katie Bell. I also think she's rather overdue for her Sergeant's stripes."  
  
"I'll recommend her,"  
  
"Who should I report to?" Harry asked.  
  
Kingsley grinned, fished out a gold badge from his desk and tossed it to Harry who caught it one-handed. "That should answer that."  
  
Harry looked at the badge, first his eyes bulged in surprise, then narrowed. "Why are you giving me this, Kingsley? First I join as a sergeant, then I'm leap-frogged to Lieutenant. I made it clear at my interview that I didn't want special treatment."  
  
"And you're not getting any, Harry," Kingsley promised. "You've earned that badge, you're not getting it because you're the Boy-Who-Lived or any of that nonsense. You're getting it because this case needs to be investigated by the best investigator close to the case. And that's you. You're a great Auror, Harry. Don't let anyone tell you any different."  
  
"I won't," Harry promised. "Can I pick my own team?"  
  
"You can pick two current inspectors or promote up to two people to that rank. They'll be your deputies. You'll also have two sergeants and two regular agents at your disposal, but they'll have to come out of the draw."  
  
Harry nodded. "Anyone else?"  
  
"I'll make sure one of your people is a certified DMT Liaison Officer. And I'm also allocating you enough to second a Vampire Hunter from the DRCMC's register. You chose which one."  
  
"That's easy," Harry said. "I want Romulus Moon and Blaise Zabini as my number twos and I want to hire Cruento."  
  
"Why Cruento?"  
  
"Because he's one of the best. And if my fears about this whole thing are correct. We'll need his level of skill."  
  
"Okay, it's your team."  
  
"Yep. And we'll get to the bottom of this. I promise."  
  
"I know you will, Harry," Kingsley confirmed. "You always do."  
  
A/N: Sorry for the huge wait between chapters, but university's been murder lately and I've not had much of a chance to get online. I hope this makes up for it. I'm pretty much finished with this story now, as what happens after this links in with the Epilogue of HP and the Scrolls of Amor. I may post one more chapter, or I might just leave it here. Anyway, when I am finished with The Time Between I intend to take a break from the Hog's Head Prophecy Saga for a bit and write some original fic, so it is unlikely that I will starting the next story (provisionally titled HP and the Next Generation) much before my half term which is in about two weeks. In the mean time, read and review! 


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